Russia charges suspect in Igor Domnikov murder

May 8, 2013 5:11 PM ET

New York,
May 8, 2013--Today's arrest in Moscow of a local businessman suspected of organizing
a brutal
attack that led to the death in 2000 of investigative reporter Igor Domnikov
is a long-overdue step toward justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists
said. Russian authorities must now ensure that all of those involved in
planning the attack are brought to justice, CPJ said.

Domnikov, 42,
a reporter for the Moscow-based Novaya
Gazeta, died two months after at least one assailant struck
him in the head multiple times with hammer. The attack occurred at
the entrance of Domnikov's apartment building on May 12, 2000.

Russia's
Investigative Committee, the federal agency responsible for inquiries into the country's
most serious crimes, announced
today that authorities had arrested Pavel Sopot, a
local businessman, on charges of "intentional infliction of a grave injury," which
carries up to 12 years in prison. In early 2000, Domnikov published a series of
articles in which he criticized authorities for what he perceived to be nepotism,
corruption, and an inability to carry out effective anti-crime and agricultural
policies in the Lipetsk region of Russia. "Investigators believe that in
response to this [reporting], businessman Pavel Sopot decided to organize an
assault against the journalist in order to strengthen his position in the eyes
of local businessmen," the committee said in a statement.

In a separate
statement issued today, Novaya Gazeta
said it believed Sopot was involved, but only as a middleman who arranged
the attack on orders from Sergei Dorovskoi, a former regional deputy governor. Dorovskoi
did not immediately respond to today's assertion, which echoed allegations that
first surfaced several years ago.

According to
CPJ
research and news reports, the Investigative Committee opened an
inquiry into Sopot's role in 2009, but would not investigate any potential part
played by Dorovskoi. Dorovskoi did not respond to messages from CPJ in 2009
seeking comment.

"Thirteen
years after the murder of Igor Domnikov, his family and colleagues are still
waiting to see the masterminds behind bars," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert
Mahoney. "Today's arrest is a sign of a progress, but Russian authorities must
deliver complete justice in the case."

According to
the Investigative Committee, Sopot contacted Eduard Tagiryanov, a leader of a regional
organized criminal gang, who in turn ordered his gang members to follow
Domnikov and attack him. In August 2008, a regional court in Kazan convicted
and sentenced Tagiryanov and four other gang members to lengthy jail
terms on charges of attacking Domnikov and carrying out other grave crimes.

Although Russian
authorities have won recent convictions in some journalist murders, the country's
impunity rating remains among the world's worst, CPJ research shows. At least 14
journalist murders between January 2003 and December 2012 remain unsolved,
CPJ's 2013
Impunity Index shows.

To fight
impunity in press killings, the Committee to Protect Journalists has launched Speak Justice: Voices
Against Impunity, a new digital platform to help break the cycle of
fear and censorship.

Editor's note:The original version of this alert has been changed in the first and third paragraphs to correct that suspect Pavel Sopot has been charged in the plot to attack Igor Domnikov. He has not been indicted. The original headline has also been changed to reflect the correction.

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